Patna, March 16: A rose, they say, would smell as sweet by any other name. But this Holi, the scented variety of gulal (powdered colours) has clearly outscored its traditional counterpart in terms of both appreciation and demand.

According to gulal sellers across the capital, the demand for normal gulal has taken a nosedive, signalling people’s sense of growing awareness about the ill effects of the colours, which are difficult to remove from the skin.

The city markets are now flooded with heaps of scented gulal in an array of shades starting from pink, magenta, red, yellow, blue to green.

Small crystals or paper-like chips of mica are mixed with the gulal.

Special packets of gulal made from the Ganga sand are also available in market.

They have a good market though priced slightly on the steeper side.

Asked about the demand for scented gulal, Shyam Babu, a shop owner at Mushallapur Haat, said: “Scented gulal is in high demand. Earlier, the gulal used to be a little harder, but now it is very soft and does not harm the skin and body. A few years ago, the demand for normal gulal was quite high but the gradual rise in consciousness among the public about the harmful chemicals in these colours seems to have reduced their demand.”

Satyendra Kumar, a customer, said: “Scented gulal is more attractive than any other colour. First, it suits the skin. It can only be felt when you use it and the colours are easy to remove. We do not want our friends to run away when we go out to put colours on them. So it made sense to switch to scented gulal. If sandalwood oil is mixed with gulal, it adds more colour to it.”

More and more youths are opting for scented gulal to make this celebration of colours as safe as possible.

Pappu Kumar, a shop owner in Yarpur area, said: “The black pastes used during Holi earlier contained lead oxide which could damage eyes. The demand for silver colour or aluminium, which also was harmful to health, has dipped. The demand for Prussian blue and green colours with copper sulphate, which can cause allergies and eye ailments has fallen drastically.”

“Scented gulal is priced higher than the normal one. This year, it is selling in 100gm packets costing Rs 15, while the same quantity of the normal one costs Rs 5,” said a shop owner.

Scented gulal is sold in bulk in Patna City.

Mohammad Wasim said, a shop owner, said: “We have our own unit that manufactures scented gulal. We offer high quality gulal in different shades and good packages for our customers abroad. This gulal is based on pure starch, which is safe for the skin. Scented gulal in 100gm airtight foil packs preserve the smell for a very long period.”

Scented gulal is available in different shades and in a variety of fragrances like rose, sandal, lavender and jasmine.